'Dumsor' returns as only two out of 10 homes in Kumasi have power

Consumers fear a return of a power crisis after inconsistent supply got worse Monday leaving large cities in near darkness.

The national capital, Accra and Ashanti region appears worse hit by the power crisis, a national irritant that plagued the country for most parts of the past four years is back.

Popular causes of the power crisis remain the unavailability of gas supply and low reserve margins. Any drop in gas supply or crude oil is expected to trigger erratic power supply.

There has been a drop in power generation from the Bui Dam after one unit of production was knocked off, Head of Joy News Energy Desk Israel Laryea has learnt.

An important gas supply source from the floating vessel, FPSO, is broken down, he added

The floating vessel feeds the Atuabo Gas Plant which then feeds the thermal generating units of the Volta River Authority (VRA) at Aboadze in the Western region.

Details about the extent of the problem are not clear, but the effect of the erratic power supply is obvious.

In the Ashanti Region, four out of five sub-stations have been shut down as on Monday night. The region is feeding on 40megawatts. It needs at least 200MW.

Nearly 80 percent of consumers were cut off from the national grid. According to an ECG official in the Ashanti Region, only areas like Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and some parts of Ejisu had power.

“Virtually the whole city does not have power”, he told Nhyira FM’s Ohemeng Tawiah.

In the Greater Accra Region, large residential areas like Achimota, Madina and Mallam, suffered power outages Monday night.

The problem has been lingering on for about two weeks but the black-out Monday night appears to have awakened public anxiety that the crisis may not be over.

Story by Ghana|myjoyonline.com